Carol's Chickens

Okay, I admit it. I cracked first!

Last night the overnight temperature was forecast at just one degree. I decided it was time to start putting the girls in the coop at night. Topaz may stay broody for weeks yet and I have to think of the flock rather than just one of them.

I went out at half past nine when it was dark and lifted them down from the high perches one by one and popped them into the coop. It was quick and easy, no problem. I opened up the nest box and peeked in and they had settled evenly spaced out between the four perches and Emerald in the nest box.

It does mean Topaz probably goes straight to her favourite nest box in the morning instead of being out for half an hour but as the automatic door gradually opens later each morning that time span would get shorter anyway.

I turfed her out at seven o’clock when I went out but she was only out for a few minutes before she managed to sneak back in.

This afternoon Honey was being quite vocal as if she wanted to lay her egg. I then noticed she had disappeared and checked each nest box for her. To my surprise she was in with Topaz.

Topaz and Honey in the nest box together

Honey has a good look at Topaz

Topaz doesn’t seem at all bothered by Honey

Maybe this is the explanation for Topaz sitting on Honey’s egg. Although she is angry when out of the nest box she doesn’t take any notice of the other girls joining her in the nest box.

On the “Down the Lane” forum recently there has been a thread about how we all notice that which ever nest box is the chosen favourite of the day, all the girls want that one and will shout and wait rather than go in another one. It has been thought that it may be because the hens would rather lay in the same nest box so that there is a clutch together ready to sit on. Some of us agreed this seemed a plausible explanation.

This may explain why Topaz is tolerant of another hen laying an egg next to her. So far Sparkle has done it once and Honey has done it twice. Maybe Topaz is thinking this is her chance to get that egg under her. I know they don’t think the way we do but they certainly do take any chance to ease any egg underneath themselves at any given opportunity while broody.

Topaz is very calm while Honey is in next to her whereas outside the nest box she chases off any girls that get anywhere near her. I am finding my first broody quite a learning process but the other advantage of picking the girls up and putting them to bed is that it gave me a chance to feel Topaz for weight and I was pleased to find that she actually feels the same.

I worry about her not eating enough but my husband pointed out that if she sitting most of the day she probably doesn’t need much. It was re-assuring to hold her and see that she felt the same as usual. So the new, or should I say old, bedtime routine is resumed.

Topaz is still committed to being broody. At lunch time today when I moved her out of the little coop nest box she was once again sat on an egg.

For a moment I wondered if she had actually laid it herself which would be surprising as broody hens don’t usually lay.

I concluded that once again it was probably Honey’s egg. That morning before I had opened the right hand favourite coop, Topaz in her haste to get back in, went in the left hand coop. When I returned to check on her a little while later she was back in the right hand coop. I always wonder how she knows it may now be open.

I think Honey may have already laid in there and Topaz just when in and sat on it. Honey is laying every other day and didn’t lay yesterday so this seems the most likely explanation.

Fluffed up Topaz

This was Topaz at lunch time after I had moved her out of the nest box with the net.

It surprises me that she is so committed when she roosts overnight on the high perch. I would have thought the cool air underneath her overnight would have interrupted her broodiness but in the morning she can’t wait to get back in the nest box again.

I really want to start putting the girls into the coop again at night time but feel it would be better to wait until Topaz has finished being broody as I think she would just stay in the coop in the mornings and it would be one more time a day for me to get her out.

It remains to be seen who’s resolve cracks first. For now I am going to just hang in there and carry on as we are.

My husband went to the farm today where we get our disposables and where we re-homed Pepper and Dotty. While he was there he went to look for them. He started with the barn but there were no chickens in there. He then went to the part of meadow that is under a big tree and seems to be a favourite spot for the chickens.

There he found Pepper and Dotty together amongst some of the other chickens. He said they were happily scratching and pecking at the grass. Both had fluffy bottoms (Pepper’s was quite bare before) but Dotty still had a bare head.

I didn’t even mind this fact because I know it means that they are still sticking together as close a pair as ever. Pepper probably still plucks Dotty’s head when they are together on the roost but I know Dotty would rather it be that way than they were separated.

At least now they aren’t plucking any other chickens and they aren’t plucking my little girls and they are happily free ranging. My husband called me to let me know he was with them and I felt a lump in my throat to hear that. I felt so very pleased that they were happily settled and free ranging.

Meanwhile back in our run Topaz is still the angriest chicken I have ever seen. I am continuing with the routine of having her out first thing in the morning, at lunch time and before bedtime.

Yesterday afternoon after I had got Topaz out for a little while I let her back into her favourite coop but forgot to open the other coops back up for egg laying.

Before bedtime I went in to get Topaz out and was most surprised to find that she was sat on an egg. That was when I realised that the other coops were still closed and brave Honey had gone in the coop with Topaz to lay her egg. Topaz must have manoeuvred the egg under herself.

Topaz was the most angry we have seen her yet. Having an egg to sit on for the afternoon before being forced off of it enraged her. She would stand up tall, lift her wings, raise her ruff and screech. We had never imagined such a small chicken could be so angry. She shouted and rushed at the other girls. At one point she grabbed Amber by the neck feathers when she got too close to her.

I must make sure in future that the other coops are re-opened for Honey and Sparkle to lay their eggs.

Today I took my camera with me in case she did this again but today she was just normal angry. When she comes tearing across the patio shouting the chicks get up on the coop roof or the high perches to keep well out of her way.

Peaches and Barley on the coop roof

They look at me as if to say can’t I do anything about this mad chick!

Topaz meanwhile pecks at an apple with fury. My husband says she looks like she is taking her anger out on the apple. I see how hard and fast she pecks the apple and I know I don’t want my hands near her.

Topaz takes her fury out on an apple

This was the only photo that wasn’t blurred as everything she does at the moment is at break neck speed. She has been like this for a week now. It will be so nice to get our sweet Topaz back when she comes out of this.

We collected Peaches and Barley two months ago at six weeks old so they are now three and a half months old.

Their voices have started to change. They no longer cheap like chicks but don’t have their grown up voice yet either. It’s something in between, sort of a cross between a squeak and a honk.

They are still bottom girls at the moment but I wonder if that may change when they are fully mature. At the moment they run from the other girls and keep out of their way. They are really speedy and are always together.

They do have little spats between themselves but it seems quite playful. They never peck each other but run at each other with their ruffs raised. They circle each other then run off and each time it only lasts seconds. I keep trying to get a photo of this but it is over so quickly that I haven’t managed yet.

They are still skittish if I move towards them but if I crouch down to get a photo Peaches is really inquisitive and will come right up to me.

Peaches comes over to check me out

She edges nearer to me

Getting closer

Peaches close up

I do think these two girls are beautiful and it will be interesting to see how they mature. I am looking forward to a few more eggs too.

Emerald and Toffee have been moulting for five weeks now. There has been a constant stream of feathers to pick up each morning but finally they are slowing down. They both lost their tails two weeks ago but their new tail feathers have now grown back in. They are both looking pretty good now.

Toffee is looking good after her moult

Toffee has her tail back

Emerald also has her tail back

Emerald shows off her long neck

I love how these two game birds have such a long neck when they stretch yet it completely disappears when they are relaxed. We wondered if that’s where the expression “wind your neck in” comes from.

That’s the first two through the moult, only four more adults to go and the two chicks to get all their grown up feathers in and then we are done.

Today when I got Topaz out at lunch time she went off in an angry whirl chasing the other girls away. She pecked furiously at some apple, ate some sunflower hearts and pooped. She scratched for a few minutes as usual. She came back to the locked coop and protested but then she took herself off for a dust bath.

Topaz having a dust bath

This is the first time Topaz has had a dust bath since she has gone broody and I was really pleased to see this. After a few minutes she came up to the patio area, shook herself off and marched back to the little coop nest box.

While she was in her dust bath I topped up the shavings in her nest box and sprinkled in some D.E. It was so lovely to see her in the dust bath even though it was quite brief.

I have established a routine with my angry bird now. At night  I am leaving all the coops closed. This means when the girls come down from the roosts at first light which is six o’clock at the moment and I go out to them at seven o’clock, I know that Topaz has had an hour out.

I throw her some sunflower hearts to make sure she eats something and open the coops to allow the other girls to lay if they need to and of course Topaz goes straight back in her favourite coop.

Before I came up with this tactic Topaz would already be in the coop at seven o’clock and I wouldn’t have known if she went straight in and so felt compelled to get her again.

I then get her out again after lunch time and make sure she feeds and poops. I haven’t seen her go to the water which worries me so I have been dropping chopped grapes in front of her so that she gets some sugar and some moisture.

She stays out for about fifteen minutes and always has a quick scratch which at least gives her a little exercise.

Next I get her out an hour before the girls perch up at bedtime and close the coops. This means she has to stay out.

I think she is getting used to the routine because although she is difficult to budge and pecks viciously, she has stopped shouting at the top of her voice, which is a vast improvement. She does make a low broody rhythmic sound but that is so much better than shouting.

This afternoon my husband took some photos of me getting Topaz out of the nest box. It’s difficult to show properly but we thought it gave the gist of it. I use a fishing net as I need to push her quite firmly as she resists and feel the net won’t hurt her. She pecks the whole time and I can’t get my hands near her.

I start to ease Topaz across the nest box with the net

Topaz pecks at the stick

Topaz is almost out

Topaz is out

Topaz holds her wings out

Topaz eats and goes for a scratch and poops

I think this routine is the best I can do for her. She isn’t upsetting the other girls but they won’t mess with her either. When she is out she chases them out of her way. She is still active when out and looks in good condition and at least it is now cool during the day. I think that if I didn’t get her out she would just stay in there all day and my main concern is to keep her healthy.

On Thursday it was the wedding day of my eldest son Steve and his beautiful bride Yu Lee. We left for Cambridge on Thursday morning at half past eight and returned home at half past four on Friday afternoon.

This was the longest that I had ever left the chooks. I usually have two food bowls and two water bowls but I upped it to three and topped them right up. I also left the girls six halved bits of corn cob and two whole apples to give them plenty to peck at while we were away.

They have been sleeping out on the high perches under the solid roofed area so I knew they would be okay (they wouldn’t need putting to bed).

As an emergency back up I gave my lovely next door neighbours keys to the house and the chicken run gate and showed them where everything chicken related is stored and also gave them my lovely chicken friend Jackie’s phone number.  If there was an emergency I know Jackie knows as much about chickens as I do.

The wedding was beautiful and we all had a lovely time despite punting on the Cam in the pouring rain. It was a really memorable day.

Steve and Yu Lee

Mr and Mrs Brown signing the register

Brothers as witnesses

Behind Steve is my youngest son, Robert and behind Yu Lee is her brother Zen.

We had such a lovely time but it was soon time to return home and see how the chooks had got on in my absence.

Everything was as normal with seven of the girls and number eight, Topaz, was in the little coop nest box. There was an egg from Honey in the other little coop nest box. I didn’t know how long Topaz had been in there so decided to leave her while I cleaned the enormous amount of poop that had accumulated in a couple of days.

Once I had finished she was still in there and my husband lightly said he wondered if she had gone broody while we were away. Well as soon as I opened the coop and tried to move her it became obvious that she was indeed broody. She puffed herself up and tried to peck at me if I got anywhere near her.

After not laying an egg for a month Topaz has only laid two eggs before going broody.

Angry Topaz in the nest box

I decided that I must get her out as I wasn’t sure if she was sat on Sparkle’s egg or when she had last had food and water. I resorted to using a fishing net to ease her out. She was angry and pecking at the net and I knew I couldn’t get my hands near her.

I quickly closed all three coops so that she couldn’t go back in and she shouted her protest at the top of her very loud voice.

My husband heard her from inside the house and came out to see what was going on. She raised her wings up and growled. When I tried to take a photo of her she ran at me. She has turned into a chicken monster.

Topaz has her wings held up

I threw down some sunflower seeds and Topaz joined the other girls to get them. She then set about scratching in the soil.

Topaz joins in with the sunflower seeds

I decided that as it wasn’t long until they start perching for bedtime that I would leave her out. I thought that as the nights are cooling down now perhaps a night on the perch might break her of her broodiness.

It wasn’t long before Topaz went up to the perch and soon all the girls were in their usual night time positions. I opened up the coops again ready for the morning.

This morning when I went in to the girls Topaz was in the run and I thought it had worked. I was wrong. After she had an hour of feeding, drinking and scratching she headed off to the favourite coop. I shut both the little coops thinking that if she went in the main coop nest box instead the other girls could have the favourite coop to lay their eggs in causing less protesting.

Topaz all fluffed up

This is what she looked like when I checked on her a bit later. While I was taking this photo Amber and Honey joined us to see what was going on.

Honey and Amber are very curious.

I opened up the other coops and left her to it. When I checked back a bit later Topaz was back in the favourite coop. How had she known it was open? At least this meant she had been out and Sparkle’s egg was in the other coop.

Topaz is quite a scary girl at the moment and I think I am just going to have to let this run its course. She will probably come out of this just in time for the moult. I think this girl is determined not to lay eggs!

Three months after Sparkle started laying (back in April) Topaz laid five eggs in two weeks. She then stopped laying for the next month and I had no idea why.

Topaz would go into the little coop nest box and come out shouting but never an egg. A few days ago she went into the nest box for longer than usual (a couple of hours) and came out shouting. I thought this time there might be an egg and checked, but there wasn’t.

Yesterday Topaz spent all morning in the nest box. Sparkle wanted to get in and lay her egg despite there being two other nest boxes but Topaz was in her favourite one. I began to wonder if I should lift her out as I thought maybe she was going broody.

I decided to give her a bit longer and while doing my lunch time clean up in the run Topaz came out shouting.

She shouted and shouted, long and loud. I checked the nest box and there was her egg. It is larger and rounder than Sparkle’s eggs. She was so proud and after five minutes of very loud shouting I distracted her with some sunflower hearts. Well done Topaz! I wonder if she is going to continue to lay or if this is a one off. Only time will tell.

Sparkle immediately went into the little coop nest box and very quickly laid her egg. She must have been hanging on.

The other change in the flock is that since Amber and Honey had their big falling out battle, Honey has moved up the pecking order. Their battle was a week ago and I wanted to wait to be sure before mentioning it but now when I put out treats or dig for worms Honey gives Amber the warning peck (the quick peck that doesn’t actually connect but just lets her know her place). Amber always did this to Honey before but now Honey does it to Amber. It seems that she has fought her way above Amber this time.

They stopped perching next to each other at night after that fall out but last night for the first time in a week they were perched next to each other. They had also been together again during the day. It seems that they are friends again.

All eight girls perch together

It’s cute how they are perched in their pairs except for Toffee and Emerald who are never together.

Each of the pairs spend a lot of time together except the game birds. They are more like two singles and have no attachment to each other at all and yet they were together in the barn at the farmers and together here before integrating. They did integrate quickly (in only a few days) perhaps because they wanted to join the flock rather than be together.

Toffee and Emerald always roost well away from each other.

Amber and Honey side by side

It is nice to see Amber and Honey together again. Amber is on the left and the dark spot on her comb is where her peck marks have healed.

Toffee, Peaches and Barley

Peaches and Barley always roost next to Toffee or Topaz as they are the only two that don’t chase them away but most of the time it is Toffee they sit next to.

I love the way Toffee looks at them and the way her feathers sit over the perch.

I hope Amber and Honey have finished with their spats for now. I looked back at last year and they did this in spring then again at this time of year and this year they have repeated the pattern which is interesting. For now though harmony has resumed.

There always seems to be some sort of drama going on in my flock. Last night I went to check on the girls just before bedtime.

At first all seemed normal with all the girls on the perches in the usual positions and all happily preening and dozing.

Then I looked down and was horrified to see splashes of blood on the patio. There was a lot of blood. Big splashes (the size of a pound coin) with smaller dots around them. Blood on the patio, on the coop roof, on the two nest box coops, streaks on the top of the cabinet and streaks on the perch.

I haven’t seen so much blood from the girls, this was more than the spots of blood from a pecked comb. I was horrified and yet mystified how there could be so much blood and yet the girls all looked perfectly normal.

I did a quick inspection of the girls looking at combs, vents and legs and feet. Sparkle had some blood on her toe but was standing in the blood on the perch and no obvious injury.

I fetched a bowl of soapy water and a cloth. I lifted each girl down again checking comb, vent, legs and feet. Nothing obvious. They all went out into the garden part of the run and scratched around while I cleaned the perch, top of the coup, little coups, top of the cabinet and scrubbed the blood splatters from the patio.

That done the girls all returned to their usual positions on the perch. I again checked each one of them. The only tiny bit of blood I could see was on Sparkles toe. I picked her up and had a close inspection. There was a tiny trace of blood on one toe and one claw but I couldn’t see any injury and when she was on the ground she was showing no sign of limping or discomfort.

I can only think that Sparkle has cut her toe on a sharp bit of flint in the run and the cut is so fine and clean that it bled for a while but now doesn’t show. I can’t see any other explanation. When poop picking I remove any sharp bits of flint but the run is large and the girls are always turning up more with their digging.

I just couldn’t believe there was so much blood and yet I couldn’t see any injury. Today Sparkle has been fine and doesn’t show any discomfort at all.

With hindsight I am quite glad I didn’t go in while the bleeding was taking place or I would have been horrified. It must have healed very quickly. Everything seems absolutely fine today. This was all very odd but I am so glad that all the girls seem to be fine. What will they throw at me next!